1957 Raleigh Superbe Restoration Thread

[Krashper]

Really loving this thread.
It’s like a bicycle version of TV’s The Repair Shop.
Your commitment to the cause is outstanding Krasper, and you’re doing a cracking job. Wish I had the know how.
Looking forward to seeing her all built up. Give us a ride report too please!
Best wishes,
Luke

Well thank you for the encouraging post, glad you like the thread ) I find that long-term projects like this drain my enthusiasm/interest over time but I've decided to maintain the high standard until the end with this one. I will keep the thread posted for a brief period after the completion for things like a ride report, issues etc...

Maybe unintentional but is your username by any chance a reference to this guy.... ?

Loved the cartoon as a kid, time flies...

[LuckyLuke]

Hi Krashper, sadly not a reference to the cartoon. I worked / backpacked in the Middle East in ‘95 and my name was often misspelled ‘Luck’ by the locals. And it stuck!
Must check out the comic strip. Was a big fan of Asterix as a kid but Lucky Luke never made it to my local branch of WH Smiths. I believe it’s by the same artist.
Best wishes,
Luke

[Krashper]

Okay I'm back.

Over the course of this week I sprayed all the nuts, bolts and bits and including the headlamp with Tetrosyl Clear Lacquer. I didn't upload the photos as you have seen them all a thousand times. In my experience Tetrosyl is a very good clear coat, very efficient, good fan, comes in 500ml can, lasts forever. It is however acrylic based so cannot be used over oil base like Combicolor as it will act like a stripper and cause it all to bubble up.

Using it on my bits I was worried about the frame clips and brake braces as they have to bend around the frame/fork or in the case of the clips, snap on. I wasn't sure if 3 layers of paint would tolerate the flex. I'm happy to report that nothing chipped off. Everything snapped on without a problem.

Today I mounted the front fender, headlamp, bb, left crank and pedal, post and saddle, frame clips and the cable pulley. Used thread locker on anything that vibrates (like the front fender) or that I won't move very often. Copper anti-seize for the seat post, crank spindle, cotter pin and the headset. Lucas X-Tra Heavy Duty green grease for the bb. 2 wraps of gas rated thick teflon tape on bb thread. I use teflon tape as opposed to grease for bb because it makes a tighter fit and done this way, my bb cups have never come loose, can't say the same for grease. It also seals the thread against moisture really well meaning no seized cups. I gave the saddle another shine with Dubbin as it sucked up all the linseed oil. It feels a lot stronger now, not so dry anymore.

As you can see in one of the photos with the fender and mudflap, the TinyTech black one that I bought off ebay wasn't any good. Way too small and the holes weren't right. Punching another hole just made it weaker so I made my own one out of a piece of clear plastic. This, I believe is uv-resistant PVC, the type of thick plastic used for door strips in warehouses. I also sprayed the inside of the fender with Hammerite Underbody Seal bitumen. Apart from being a water-repellent it will attract dirt and form a protective layer that will prevent stone chips and thus rust.

Enough babbling, here are the photos:

[jb]

Excellent thread.

[LuckyLuke]

Great work, she’s looking lovely.
Fetching shade of blue too.
Bravo!

Best wishes

Luke

[Krashper]

Thanks guys )

In the last post I forgot to mention the pedals. So as you might remember from the initial photos, the pedals were completely toast. The pedals I'm installing are a modern releigh equivalent sold as replacements for choppers/grifters and other vintage bikes. They cost £15, they are non-adjustable so will probably develop slop over time. I thought about drilling a hole in the caps for drainage and easy oiling but I haven't done it yet. One of the advantages that I can see over the original pedals is that the blocks are fixed into position and won't spin around causing your foot to slide off. The blocks are hard plastic so won't wear out like the rubber blocks.

On Friday, my homebrew tyre sealant was put to its first test since I started using it a few months back. I run it in my beater/commuter bike and apart from a successful test I did with board pins when first fitted, it hasn't saved my butt yet... till last friday. It worked very well, just gave a short hiss and sealed instantly. Upon inspection, it was a pretty nasty hole, looks like it was done by a nail, or screw so I'm happy to report that it's a reliable juice recipe )

[James Harold]

Great looking project, I'm relatively new to bike restoration,
I recently acquired a Raleigh R R A that was due for the dump..the lady I got it from said her husband bought it in 1967',I've tried finding the actual year from the serial number to no avail, curiously the number isn't on the bottom bracket but just under the seat(as yours is),looking at other serial number locations could mine be a 50s' bycicle, it looks very similar
Thanks for your pictures
James

[Krashper]

Great looking project, I'm relatively new to bike restoration,
I recently acquired a Raleigh R R A that was due for the dump..the lady I got it from said her husband bought it in 1967',I've tried finding the actual year from the serial number to no avail, curiously the number isn't on the bottom bracket but just under the seat(as yours is),looking at other serial number locations could mine be a 50s' bycicle, it looks very similar
Thanks for your pictures
James

Perhaps this snippet screenshot may shed some light... Full article from sheldon brown's website can be found here:

https://www.sheldonbrown.com/retroraleighs/dating.html

Glad you like the thread, I hope the content is encouraging

[Krashper]

Slow progress, apologies. I painted the rear fender with 2 coats last week and mounted it. I painted a cute red circle at the end instead of a reflector light. I didn't want to drill in the repair area and original sturmey archer reflectors are hard to find. They are also usually perished and an overall a waste of money at this stage, I like the paint better personally. I did that with Hammerite red. I used hammerite because we had a can banging about at work. It's not very good paint. I wouldn't use it on bare metal but the adhesion will be enough for paint on paint given that I sanded it.

As with the front, I applied Hammerite Underbody Seal on the inner side. Despite clearing the nozzle after each use, the can clogged up so I had to pop and drain it, then apply with a brush. I left the dents in it because I like how they look, I think they add character to the bike and I wanted to preserve that.

I also mounted the kick stand. Gave it a quick clean up with a wire brush and rubbed it with gear oil.

[LuckyLuke]

Looking good!
I really like that shade of blue.
She’s ready for the next 64 years
I’m currently slacking on my bike related projects, so really applaud your hard graft on this one.
Best wishes,
Luke

[Krashper]

Looking good!
I really like that shade of blue.
She’s ready for the next 64 years
I’m currently slacking on my bike related projects, so really applaud your hard graft on this one.
Best wishes,
Luke

Indeed so do I, as for the service life, it's only right, these are fabled to last a century

I must confess that recently I've been plodding on with it. I think when you take on a big project you risk becoming a slave to it and then resenting it. I'm trying to avoid this. I've taken a break during the heatwave we've had last week but as it is in wales, the weather just swings from one extreme to the next, now it's crap.

[Krashper]

Anyway, I'm back. This is the hardest bit for me with any kind of project. You've seen the bike, you can see what it will look like, most of the difficulties and unknowns are out of the way. The novelty's gone. You've been dragging it since April. This is the last mile of the marathon.

So I've stripped down the chain case with Power Strip, I stuffed it with blue roll and poured in white spirit to soften the gunk inside. I was gonna clean it out internally with a pressure washer but I can't find the garden hose and the one at the local gas station broke so I'm gonna skip this step. I wanted to do this so that sand from the blaster doesn't stick to the inside and thus rub onto the chain but I can just leave the paper towels inside when blasting so, eh...

I'm halfway through cleaning it, my boss bought some better abrasive medium for the sand blaster which works better and faster than the building sand so the adhesion will be better than before. As you can see the case is well preserved, it's covered in black oxidation and you can still see mint metal in some places. I've ordered another can of Zinc 182 as I'm all out, that should arrive over the weekend.

The plan now is to get the chain case and drive train out of the way asap and then get on to the bars, brakes, bell and the lights in roughly that order.

[jb]

Well, it's the chain case and rod brakes that make it stand out from the rest. Keep up the good work.
I've restored old things and as your about to complete them your common sense says this is going to be a very unexceptional performance, but who cares it works & looks so cool in a way others don't understand.

[Krashper]

Well, it's the chain case and rod brakes that make it stand out from the rest. Keep up the good work.
I've restored old things and as your about to complete them your common sense says this is going to be a very unexceptional performance, but who cares it works & looks so cool in a way others don't understand.

I think it's a type of romanticism for the past that makes me do it. Another thing I tend to realise when coming to the completion of a project is that now I will be obligated to take care of the thing unlike with my beater bike that I can toss anywhere. That starts to bother me, especially as I see the deterioration / loss of value over time which usually results in selling. Let's see if I can withstand the pressure this time

[Krashper]

Sand blasted. I will touch up some areas where it started rusting (rusts very quickly after blasting) tomorrow and then Zinc182.